Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The priory of Pouilly-lès-Feurs was founded in 999 by Benedictine monks of Cluny, adopting an architectural arrangement similar to that of their mother abbey: a building organized around a square courtyard, with a Gallo-Roman well in its centre. The constructions lasted several centuries, with major phases between 999 and 1050 for the initial priory, then between 1048 and 1299 for the church. Other elements, such as the stable, the wheat attic, or the prison and courtroom, were added between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries.

Between 1385 and the reign of Louis XIII, the priory was girded with imposing fortifications, made up of ten towers and high walls, partially alaid later. The French Revolution marked a turning point: the building, sold in three lots, lost its unit. Graffiti discovered on the walls, dating from the wars of Religion (XVI century), testify to its turbulent occupation, with representations of human figures, animals and castles.

The transformations continued until the early 19th century, with the addition of a bakery (now gone) and an alley between the church and the priory. Ranked Historic Monument in 2005, the site preserves traces of its medieval and Renaissance past, mixing religious, military and agricultural heritage. The priory, the rampart and an adjoining tower are now protected, shared between communal and private property.

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